


Better Late Than Never

by jen_chan13



Series: author never finishes anything ever [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Because Steve, F/M, Not Really Character Death, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-18 01:37:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1410181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jen_chan13/pseuds/jen_chan13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Steve is unintentionally an asshole to Peggy, twice.  Well, three times.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Late Than Never

“Sorry I’m late.”

Peggy startles, looking around with her heart in her throat – and there is Steve, in the shadow of a bombed-out building a stone’s throw away from the restaurant, with a little half-smile on his face, bashful and pleased with himself.

Peggy stares at him.

The smile slips from Steve’s face and he steps towards her, and Peggy skitters back.

“Peggy?”

“You’re dead,” Peggy whispers. There are still tear tracks on her cheeks from the two hours she sat at the table and cried silently over the lost opportunities between them, the foolish way they treated each other, his awkward sincerity on the radio as the plane went down in the middle of God-knows-where. She heard the radio go to static. He’s dead.

Steve sighs, and shoves his hands into the pockets of the greatcoat he’s wearing. “I’m not dead,” he corrects her gently, “but I’m not supposed to be here either, I can’t stay.” He glances down the street, and then up to the rooftops, not nervous but watchful. “You won’t see me again for… a really long time.” Steve catches her eyes and he looks – sad, or maybe wistful, but also resigned, certain of what he’s saying. “I just came to say a proper goodbye, that’s all.”

Peggy doesn't know what to say, so she says nothing, but she moves a little bit closer – not quite within arm’s reach. She doesn't break eye contact.

“I’m sorry,” Steve says, soft and sincere and oh, his face is the most honest thing she’s ever seen, she could never doubt that face even when he made her SO mad…

“Steve,” she says, and then she can’t seem to stop, she’s pressing her face into his chest and saying his name again and again. His arms come up around her shoulders and he holds her, tight and strong and real.

Eventually Peggy gets hold of herself; she pulls back and takes a deep breath in through her nose, straightens her coat and her posture. She looks Steve in the eye and almost loses her composure again, holds onto it by her fingertips.

“You’re late, Captain,” she says, and manages a firm tone. “Explain yourself.”

Steve grins that bashful little half-grin again, ducks his head like he’s still shorter and scrawnier than her, and starts talking.

**Author's Note:**

> first steve died, then he stood her up, and then he showed up late and expected her to be happy about it. yep. asshole.
> 
> i don't really think Peggy is normally this... emotional? i guess that works. what i mean to say is that she's a very strong person, very in control of her emotions and reactions, very independent, and i don't think she'd normally let herself be the damsel fallen into the arms of the strong male hero - but i wanted to give her this moment, so. there it is.


End file.
